Burning Spirits
by setr
Summary: A collection of drabbles and one shots featuring Lucy and Natsu. Not my characters. Not canon. Ratings may vary per chapter.
1. Chapter 1

The Microfic Meme: Write stories for each of the major fanfic categories in 10 words or less.

**Fandom: **Fairy Tail  
**Pairing:** Lucy/Natsu  
**Warning:** untrue, not my characters

**Angst: **Igneel came first and she could no longer handle it.

**Smut: **His heat made her burn with uncontrollable desire.

**AU: **Her salmon-haired classmate smiled wolfishly at her.

**Hurt/Comfort: **He carefully carried her bruised body home to their bed.

**Romance:** A heated massage gently pulled her out of sleep.

**Fluff: **His new job was making her happy..

**Friendship: **He held out his hand and brought her in.


	2. Unnoticed Confessions

**Unnoticed Confessions**

The stellar spirit mage relaxed on the grassy knoll as the stars shined brightly overhead. They had just finished a successful mission and she was quite impressed since for what seemed like the first time they actually were able to keep the reward money. A courtesy not usually awarded when one's partner was Natsu.

Speaking of the dragon slayer he emerged from the forest with a armful of branches, adding them to their roaring fire. The mage observed the fire for a minute before deciding it was burning well enough and took a seat beside Lucy.

"You're definitely handy to have around when a fire is needed." Lucy quipped.

"Much better than Gray, he'd just put it out."

Lucy rolled her eyes, she should have expected the response. She eyed the salmon-haired mage out of the corner of her eyes. Admiring his smooth face and unruly hair, noticing the way the light coloured hair seemed to emphasize his tanned skin. She had long since accepted that her feelings for her partner were more than just friendly but she had yet to make them known to Natsu. Perhaps here under the stars around a fire was the perfect chance.

"I'm glad that you're here." She tried subtlety.

"It's not too cool tonight, but yeah the fire is still nice."

Lucy groaned inwardly, of course her confession wouldn't work that easily. Natsu could be shockingly daft sometimes.

"Not because of the fire Natsu."

"Don't worry, I won't let the bogey man get you." "I can't believe she thinks he's real..."

"Not because of that either!" Lucy was getting frustrated.

"Err... ok."

Lucy shook her head, it would appear that she was going to have to be much more blunt.

"I would rather be in the desert with you Natsu than anywhere else without you."

"Ne, why would you want to be in the desert."

Lucy snapped and hit the dragon slayer across the head before storming off to her tent. She climbed in and violently closed the zipper before climbing under her blanket. It served her right for thinking she should confess her feelings to that blockhead. She could probably kiss the guy without him realizing why. As she slowly drifted to sleep she wondered why she had ever worried about him finding out in the fist place.


	3. Talk

SPOILER ALERT: chapter 115-ish

Rating: T

**Talk**

Natsu sat on the bench covered in bandages and unable to speak clearly. It was just his misfortune that Gazille seemed to be the only one that could understand his grumblings. He eyed Lucy sitting at the bar with a grin on her face and wished he could speak. There was so much he wanted to tell her. SO much had happened in so little time and he wanted to go over it all with his best friend but he sure as hell wasn't going to do it using the iron freak as a translator.

The stellar spirit had invited Loki out in celebration and the blond star was currently fawning over her, extolling her skills. Honestly Natsu wasn't surprised at what Lucy had accomplished. He knew the girl better than she thought and he could see all that power waiting to be tapped into. Gazille might have been surprised that the "bunny" had accomplished such a feat as taking out Bixlow but not him. His bunny was tough.

Still for the moment Natsu could do nothing but grumble incoherently while not one but several men drooled over the beautiful stellar spirit. They could drool away for now but it wouldn't be long before he was all healed and he could say the things he wanted to and of course kick all of their asses for trying to steal his best friend.


	4. There to Stay

Rating: T

**There to Stay**

Not many people knew it but Natsu was Lucy's biggest fan. He might tease her and mock her stellar spirits but deep down he admired the girl. Some people assumed that because she was a Heartphilia her life had been easy but Natsu knew money didn't equal happiness. He understood how difficult her life had been, how much she had gone through trying to get her father's love. But he kept all that to himself. Now wasn't the time to reveal these feelings to her. There would be a time and he would know it when it came. For now he was just content to be there, a constant presence in her life. A pillar of unconditional support that despite the teasing he knew she recognized. Natsu understood that in order to truly have this girl he had to prove to her he was worth it. He had to prove to her that he was there to stay. And so day after day he secretly admired her strength and determination while staying silently at her side.


	5. Warmth

Rating: T

**Warmth**

"It's so cold." The stellar spirit mage complained.

Lucy rubbed her arms, desperately trying to create some friction to warm her up. They were at the train station waiting for their train home to arrive. They had of course just missed the last one and now had quite the wait. In the cold. It was just their luck that the station building was closed for renovations and the temperature was only dropping.

"It's not that bad." Gray retorted, the ice mage was of course shirtless.

"You're an ICE mage. You're used to it. I am not a freak of nature, I have a regular body temperature."

Natsu just laughed, earning a glare from Gray but Erza's presence kept it from escalating into a brawl. The salamander seemed to be ignorant of the fact that he was of course lumped into that same freaky body temperature group as Gray.

"Natsu, rub Lucy's arms." Erza said coolly.

""What?" both mages in question exclaimed.

"Natsu's body temperature is higher than average, therefore combined with the usual friction it should help to warm you up."

Lucy could only stare at the Titania in shock. Natsu warming her up? The thought alone sent a bit of heat to her cheeks. If she weren't so horrified she might of appreciated it. But horrified she was, Natsu was going to have his warm hands on her bare skin. It was something she had dreamt about various times but her reactions in the privacy of her room were one thing. At the train station with her friends?

"N-no. It's fine." She stammered.

Natsu mistook her stammering as shivers and took the choice out of her hands.

"Lucy, you shouldn't get sick." He said nonchalantly.

Then his hands were on her, just as warm as she had imagined and she let a little sigh escape her mouth before she realized what she was doing.

"See, warmth is good Luce." Natsu said, thankfully misunderstanding the sigh.

His hands continued to move on her arms and she could feel herself warming up despite the night chill. She forced herself to focus on the warmth and not think about the source of the warmth. However that was easier said than done. It was nearly impossible to ignore Natsu's presence at the best of times, now that he was close enough that she could smell his smoky musk and feel his hot breath wash across her neck he practically shouted for attention. His breath washed across her neck again and a shiver of desire ran down her spine.

"She's still shivering baka. Clearly you're not as hot as you think." Gray commented.

Lucy blushed at the comment but a second later she could have kissed the ice mage for Natsu took her in his arms. Suddenly she was enveloped in heat, toasty warm in the flame eater's embrace. Natsu bent his head down so that his breath was hot on her ear and whispered gently.

"Better?"

Lucy could only nod mutely. Perhaps the cold wasn't so bad after all.


	6. Heat

Rating: T  
For **always lost123**

**Heat**

Natsu pressed himself up against Lucy, if anyone else asked it would be to warm her up but it was he who wanted her heat. Her skin seemed to sizzle under his touch and her fingertips burned his skin more than any fire ever could. With Lucy he was discovering a whole new fire, a heat he couldn't consume. Instead it consumed him. Burning all other thoughts from his mind until the only thing that remained was her. Lucy, his golden angel.

Lucy sighed low, low enough that he was certain no one else could hear. But he heard it, heard its exact timbre and lilt and the fire increased. He bent his head down to whisper in her ear, his breath tickling her skin and making her shiver.

"Can we go yet?"

The guild was having a party, they had a giant bonfire burning outside and there were mages drinking and dancing everywhere. Natsu was having a good time, Fairy Tail parties were always a blast but right now all he was interested in was the stellar spirit mage. Thankfully Lucy's thoughts seemed to be along the same lines and broke away to go say bye to Levi. A few seconds later the two mages slipped away, unnoticed by all but Mirajane.

Despite the heated desires they took their time getting to Lucy's place. He held her hand as she walked along the water's edge, watching the way the corners of her mind turned up in a secret smile. Away from the lights of the guild there was nothing but the pale moonlight to guide them.

When they got to her apartment Lucy unlocked the door and let them in. It took all of Natsu's strength to wait for her to shut the door before pulling her into his arms. She went easily, immediately tipping her head up for a kiss. Their lips met and all the leisure of the walk home vanished as the heat burned hotter than ever.

Lucy was soft and pliant in his embrace, all sinuous curves and light touches. Natsu lifted Lucy up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. There was a subtle strength to those glorious legs and Natsu loved the feel of them wrapped around him. One hand went down to support her, slipping under her perfectly round bottom. While the other tangled in her golden hair, letting it out of its tie. Her lips smoothed across his cheek, finding their way to that sensitive spot below his jaw.

As her mouth closed over his pulse he let out a low growl out. It bordered on feral and Lucy hummed against his skin. The resulting vibrations had Natsu stumbling to the bedroom. Lucy giggled as Natsu tossed her down on the mattress, pouncing down on her. Her laughter stuttered out as his tongue flicked across her exposed stomach. Lucy's shirt had ridden up in the tumble and he eagerly pushed it up the rest of the way. He treasured every bit of creamy flesh that was exposed and he soon had her laid out and bare in front of him. He spent his time exploring every inch of her beauty.

They explored and touched until the head had been stoked to an intensity that couldn't be ignored, then he pushed into her and it increased even more. Natsu shook with the effort to keep some control, their sweaty foreheads pressed together as their puffs of breath mingled between them. As they moved together Natsu couldn't imagine ever not craving this new and intoxicating heat.


	7. Date

**Date  
**(rating: t)

Lucy walked along the short wall that ran along the water, her arms held akimbo for balance. Her feet were moving on memory as her mind wandered to other things. Primarily settling on Natsu. She had told Erza about her feelings for the salmon-haired dragon slayer and the armoured warrior had said that Natsu would make a move by the end of the week.

This both excited and worried the blond summoner. She wouldn't put it past Erza to blackmail or threaten Natsu into doing something and while Lucy was practically dying for Natsu to take notice she needed it to be on his own choice. She had tried telling Erza this but she had simply smiled and told the blond not to worry. Needless to say it hadn't calmed her worries. With a sigh she hopped off the wall and scooped Plue – who had been walking behind her – up.

"There's no point in worrying yet, Plue."

She turned down the street to where her apartment was, taking out her keys as she approached the building. She unlocked her door and pushed it open only to have a ball of blue fur in her face.

"Lucy! You're home." Happy exclaimed.

"Happy what are you doing here?"

"Lucy you're out of fire chicken." Natsu called from the kitchen, his head in the fridge.

Fire chicken was one of Natsu's favourite meals so Lucy usually kept some at her place for him. He practically lived here anyways.

"That's because it is my house and you ate it all."

Lucy was amazed that the salamander was even here, he had been in the middle of a fight with Gray when she left the guild.

"Why'd you leave, Lucy? I thought we were hanging out."

Lucy resisted the urge to slap her forehead, speaking slowly to keep from yelling at the boy.

"We were but then you and Gray started going at it and as much fun as that is to watch I have stuff to do."

Natsu's lower lip jutted out in a pout before he plopped himself on the couch arms crossed. He was in full pout mode which meant the only way to cheer him up was with food.

"Do you want to order food from the place around the corner?"

Natsu perked up for an instant before returning to pouting, it looked like food was only going to be the start of the solution. Lucy picked up her phone and dialled the familiar number placing their order before turning back to Natsu.

"The food should be here in twenty minutes."

Natsu just shrugged, pout still firmly in place.

"What's wrong Natsu?"

The boy's stubbornness was confusing her, it wasn't like she hadn't left the guild while he was fighting Gray before.

"We were hanging out. You and me but you just left."

Lucy was surprised by the genuine hurt she heard in her friend's voice.

"I'm sorry Natsu. I didn't realize you wanted to hang out that much."

Lucy's apology seemed to appease him somewhat and she crossed over to sit at the edge of the couch by his feet.

"We can hang out now, the food should be here soon."

This time the promise of food was enough and the boy sat up with a grin.

"Did you get fire chicken?" the boy asked eagerly.

Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn't help but find it cute.

"Don't I always?"

The two of them settled on the couch, chatting about the job they had returned from a couple days ago. It wasn't long before a knock on the door announced the arrival of their food. Natsu bounded off the couch and was at the door before the delivery man had finished knocking. Lucy crossed over to the desk to grab her money but was surprised when Natsu came back to the couch holding the food. Lucy glanced at the door but the delivery man was gone.

"Did you pay him Natsu?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"You didn't have to do that, it was my treat."

"No I want to pay. It will be like a date that way."

The dragon slayer's words shook her and she was rooted to the spot. Unable to move or speak as she processed what he said. Her brain was spinning rapidly as she tried to discern his intent. After all Natsu might not mean it as a date date it was Natsu after all. But perhaps he truly meant a genuine date, perhaps he did like her after all. As soon as those thoughts cascaded through her mind she remembered the Titania's words and her earlier worries that Natsu wasn't acting on his own will came back full force.

"Natsu, when you say date... what do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"I know you're supposed to go out on a date, that's what Mira said but you already ordered the food, We can go out for our second one."

"You asked Mira? Does Erza have anything to do with this?"

"Erza? No. Why do I need to talk to her about it? I thought I only had to ask you?"

Lucy felt a wave of calm wash over her and a smile light up her face as she headed over to the couch once more. Maybe Erza has simply known how the dragon slayer had felt.

"I'd love to go on a date with you."


	8. Slumber Party

**Slumber Party  
**(rating: k)

Up, down.

Up, down.

Lucy watched as Natsu jumped on her bed looking more like a monkey than a dragon.

Up, down.

Up, down.

He continued to jump his laughter coming out in puffs of fire that had the girl fearing for her belongings. She never should've agreed to the slumber party. With the dragon slayer it was bound to be destructive.

Deep down she knew she was never going to say no. For one thing the boy had looked so excited at the prospect that she didn't have the heart to say no. But no only that, growing up the way she had with maids and guard she had never gotten to experience one and had always wanted to.

She didn't fool herself into thinking this would be a traditional slumber party. Lucy knew there would be no makeovers, boy talk or chick flicks but somehow a slumber party with Natsu might just be better.

Famous last words.


	9. Kiss Her

_I originally had this as a separate story (still is) but I have edited and added to it and decided to post it here. The title and lyrics belong to Jesse McCartney. I hope you enjoy it._ Kitani_ I know this isn't what you wanted but your request will come._

* * *

**Kiss Her**

Natsu laid on his bed the stars shimmering outside his window and he turned to look at them. He couldn't sleep and the stars reminded him of the stellar mage that had been occupying his thoughts of late. Lucy had become a great friend since joining Fairy Tail and their friendship only strengthened their teamwork. Lucy had slowly become an integral part of his life and he couldn't imagine it or Fairy Tail without her. He sighed and rolled over with his back to the open window but he couldn't shut up the voice whispering in his head. Taunting him with things that could be; things that he wanted to happen.

_We're the best of friends  
And we share our secrets  
She knows everything that is on my mind  
But lately something's changed  
As I lie awake in my bed  
A voice here inside my head  
Softly says_

_Why don't you kiss her  
Why don't you tell her  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide  
'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_

The voices continued to whisper away, taunting him and he imagined what Lucy would do if he simply took her in his arms and pressed a kiss against those cherry red lips. He bet she would taste sweet and wouldn't allow him to easily dominate her. However, she could just as easily push him away with disgust and he could lose her completely. Her potential reaction is what had him keeping quiet. He feared her rejection would hurt more than he could bear.

_Oh I'm so afraid to make that first move  
Just a touch and we  
Could cross the line  
And every time she's near  
I wanna never let her go  
Confess to her what my heart knows  
Hold her close_

_Why don't you kiss her  
Why don't you tell her  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide  
'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_

Natsu was afraid of ruining their friendship but he feared his feelings were slowly destroying things as it was. He couldn't be near her without wanting to hold her and so his solution had been to avoid being too close. This however, was putting a strain on their friendship and made missions increasingly awkward. She was a smart girl and knew that something was bothering him and being the incredibly person she was wanted to help. How could he say that she was what was bothering him? Instead he continued to keep his distance, risking losing it all anyhow out of fear.

_What would she say  
I wonder would she just turn away_

_Or would she promise me  
That she's here to stay  
It hurts me to wait  
I keep asking myself_

_Why don't you kiss her  
Why don't you tell her  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide  
'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_

He had dreamed the scenario hundreds of times, he confessed his feelings to her and each time there was a different reaction. Some nights Lucy would throw her arms around him, feelings returned. Other nights she would stare in either horror or amusement and walk away from him and out of his life. Still the desire, the need to tell her was growing deeper within him and the reasons to stay quiet were getting harder and harder to remember.

_Why don't you kiss her (tell her you love her)  
Why don't you tell her (tell her you need her)  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide  
'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside..._


	10. The end of the road

_this one is for _Kitani _who requested Lucy kick it up a notch and some kissing. I hope you like it._

_

* * *

_

**The end of the road  
**(rating: t)

Lucy was fed up. She had been trying for the better part of a year now to get Natsu to notice her as something other than a friend. So far all of her previous attempts had failed; the fire mage was simply too oblivious for anything close to subtle to work. She had gone as far as hinting at her own feelings but Natsu hadn't caught on it seemed. Today was going to be different.

She smirked at her own reflection, pleased with the results. She looked more like Edoras Lucy than Earth land Lucy but maybe that's what it was going to take. She had on a pair of thigh-high, heeled boots that clung to her legs and made her seem more imposing. The short black skirt was nothing unusual but instead of pairing it with one of her usual t-shirts she had on a deep pink halter that was cropped to expose the entire expanse of smooth midriff. She had no qualms in admitting she looked damn good and surely Natsu would notice. Making sure her skirt was sitting properly on her hips Lucy left her apartment confident in her appearance.

* * *

Lucy had been at the guild for a quarter shy of an hour and it had been rather disappointing. Levi had been one of the only ones to comment on her outfit and though she loved the girl she wasn't looking to attract her. Natsu had barely glanced at her; greeting her with his usual grin before immediately starting a fight with Gray over some imagined insult. Currently he was ignoring her as he chatted easily with Happy over something or another. Whatever it was it didn't concern her and as far as she was concerned that was a problem. She was seriously considering bringing Loke out just to get some male attention and appreciation; a fact that didn't leave her unaware of her sadness. As the afternoon continued to toil away her consideration grew and she fiddled with her keys; particularly the key to Leo. She was still staring at the key; fingers tracing the design when all of a sudden the familiar rush of the connection with the spirit world. A few seconds later Loke was in front of her; presenting himself with a flourish.

"Loke!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"At you service, my beautiful mistress."

This wasn't the first time Loke had summoned himself without her calling him. In fact, he seemed to quite enjoy surprising her in such a manner. While slightly irritating it didn't bother Lucy all that much since she knew he would never do it in a situation that could endanger her. The blond stellar spirit was currently ogling her outfit, his eyes wide in amazement. She blushed slightly under his clear appreciation, enjoying the ego-boost his hungry gaze was providing.

"Lucy, my love you look ravishing. There's no need to be shy, you should have called me out immediately."

"Thank you Loke but this isn't for you." Lucy said, her tone slight wistful.

Loke wasn't affected by her comment, his eyes shifting to look over to the table Natsu was currently at, golfing down a plate of fire chicken. Lucy followed his gaze and watched the salmon-haired mage, smiling slightly as he let out a fiery burp. Natsu was unrefined, gruff and impulsive. Nothing that would normally attract her but all wrapped together in this package she somehow found it was exactly what she was looking for. He was her unlikely prince.

"The guy still hasn't noticed you eh?" Loke sympathised.

Lucy let out a sigh, shaking her head. She wasn't sure when Loke had picked up on her feelings for her teammate but he had become her confidante, a soundboard for her ideas and frustrations. He would listen to it all and convince her she was beautiful and a great person and that eventually even Natsu wouldn't be able to ignore it. Her own personal cheerleader, who of course continued to hit on her.

Suddenly Loke was grinning. It was a mysteriously self-congratulating smile and Lucy feared what nefarious plan just entered into the stellar spirit's mind. Before she had time to ask or prepare herself for whatever was to come he was declaring in a voice loud enough to reach the far corners of the guild her beauty.

"Lucy Heartphilia you are simply heartbreaking and I can't resist you a moment longer."

"Resist me? Loke..."

Lucy was cut off my Loke's lips on hers, softly pressing against her in a gentle kiss. He had swept her off her stool so that her small frame was pressed tight against his own muscular frame, a large hand resting at the small of her back while the other cradled the back of her head. Lucy felt the blood rushing to her face at the rather public display of affection all the while being unable to resist kissing him back. Loke wasn't Natsu but he was attractive and one hell of a kisser.

The next thing she knew she was falling backwards, no longer in the solid embrace of her more passionate stellar spirit. Before she could hit the ground another pair of arms was catching her, pulling her close to an equally fit body. Blinking she saw Loke sprawled across the fiery remains of a table half way across the room. Loke met her eyes and tossed her a wink and it was then that she realized just whose arms she was in. She looked up into the fiery eyes of her best friend her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Natsu was glaring at Loke, his arms tight around Lucy without any sign of letting go.

"Natsu?" she said softly, capturing his attention.

"I don't want that player touching you, _ever_."

Lucy knew this was her chance and she silently thanked Loke for giving it to her even if it was in a rather unorthodox manner.

"Why not?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Natsu looked to the side before meeting her gaze again, his eyes shining with a whole new fire that had Lucy's blood humming with the possibilities.

"I want to be the only one who gets to do that." He replied softly.

Then he was leaning down, capturing her mouth with his and it was nothing like Loke's kiss; it was better. There was nothing soft about it; his mouth was almost bruising against hers and his fang-like teeth nipped at her full bottom lip sucking it into his mouth. Lucy allowed him control for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. Feeling the heat from his body seeping into her own as she slipped her tongue out and into his mouth. It wasn't a fairy tale, happily ever after kiss. There was nothing sweet about it; it was pure hunger and pent-up emotions making it messy and rough and frankly just how Lucy wanted it.

When they pulled apart she was vaguely aware of some catcalls coming from the other guild members but her focus was on the boy who held her. The boy who was grinning down at her like she was a fiery feast and priceless gem all rolled up in one. His breath washed hot over her face and she smiled back up at him.

"Took you long enough." She said softly, giving his hair a slight tug.

Natsu didn't answer instead he simply captured her mouth once more and that was the response she had been looking for all along.


	11. Further on down the road

Further On Down The Road  
(rating: t)

Lucy walked happily down the cobblestone streets on the way to the guild. The sun was high and the few clouds that hung in the sky were white and fluffy. She looked out over to the river to where a few boats sailed. The men who used to shout at her to be careful were gone and replaced with others. But then, Lucy no longer walked along the short wall carelessly. A lot had changed in the years since she had joined Fairy Tail. She could still remember the first time she had met Natsu and the ensuing chaos that had followed. She never would have guessed at the time that it would result in that strange boy bringing her to the guild she had always dreamed of joining. Even stranger was the fact that that strange boy had become her best friend and, with time, lover.

Many things had changed in the years; new members had joined as the guild expanded and grew. Natsu had finally found Igneel, the reunion between father and son had been emotional and filled with questions and startling answers. Master Makarov had passed away a couple years back but only after declaring Erza as the new Master of Fairy Tail. As much as things had changed there were things that had stayed the same. Oddly enough Erza's rise to control hadn't resulted in a stricter Fairy Tail and the guild continued to be renowned for causing property damage. The guild was as rambunctious as ever and Natsu and Gray continued to fight over everything, ceasing their bickering for Erza and her only.

"Lucy! Wait up."

Lucy turned around to see Wendy running up, her arms full with a bag of fruit. The young mage had grown into a beautiful young woman, confident in herself and her magic. Wendy was like a sister to Lucy and she smiled as the younger woman approached.

"Hungry?" she teased her fellow guild member.

"What? Oh, no Mira sent me to get these. She figured we should have some healthier snacks available."

The two women chatted amiably as they continued to the guild. This afternoon was a special gathering at the guild since they were celebrating Cana's birthday. The elder mage was most likely already at the guild getting three sheets to the wind. After all why should her birthday be any different than the rest of the week? The party was in full swing by the time they got there and it could be heard from half a dozen yards away. When they got inside Wendy headed over to the bar with her bag and Lucy searched for the birthday girl. She found Cana sitting on a table with a keg at her feet chatting happily with Macau. Lucy suspected that the red in her cheeks was only partially due to the empty barrel behind her. She wished the other woman a happy birthday and gave her a beautifully crafted wooden case for her cards. After delivering the gift she turned to look for Natsu; he had left for the guild before her.

"Luce!" The man on her mind called.

She turned to find him sitting at the bar, a flaming plate of chicken sitting in front of him. Smiling she walked over and settled into the seat beside him, graciously accepting the glass of wine he had requested from Mira for her.

Natsu was another reassuring constant in her life; always there for her ever since that first day she met him. While his powers had grown his passion for fights and his guild had not and even all these years later he was still just as likely to level a town as back then. The salmon-haired dragon slayer truly hadn't changed much over the years; he still wore that dragon-scale scarf even after finding Igneel. She twined her fingers in said scarf, using the material in her grasp to pull the young man closer to her. Natsu sensing what she was getting at leaned the rest of the way to meet her lips in a soft kiss. She savoured the smoky taste that was purely Natsu and smiled as he nipped at her bottom lip before pulling back.

A glass of wine in her hand, her man at her side and surrounded with friends who were more like family Lucy smiled to herself. She never would have guessed all those years ago before she had left home that such happiness was possible. She truly was living her happily ever after.


	12. Key Advice

Title: Key Advice  
Pairing: Lucy x Natsu  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: Fiction as in made up.  
Summary: Lucy wakes up to find Natsu looking for help

A disturbance coming from her left had Lucy slowly waking up much to her displeasure. She blinked her eyes against the harsh morning light that was streaming into her apartment. Lucy wasn't surprised to focus on a patch of light pink hair, after all Natsu was usually the reason she was unexpectedly woken up in her own apartment. She simply watched him for a moment curious as to what he was up to. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he stared at something in his hands with a singular determination. Lucy found herself smiling at the sight, her heart skipping a beat.

"Loke! Loke I need to talk to you. Loke where are you?" Natsu whisper-screamed.

That's when Lucy noticed the item in his hands was her keys and he was currently shaking and yelling at the bunch of them. Aquarius wasn't going to be happy about that and she was about to yell at Natsu to cut it out when Loke flashed into her room on his own power.

"Natsu, what's wrong? Is everything ok with Lucy?"

"Shh... she's sleeping."

Quickly Lucy closed her eyes feigning sleep as she felt two pairs of eyes on her. She felt a heated gaze travel her body and fought the urge to smack the Leo celestial spirit upside his head and thus blow her cover.

"So what's with all the shaking? Does Lucy know you're playing with her keys?"

"I need your help and Happy agreed that it had to be you but it's a secret so Lucy can't know."

Lucy's curiosity was sufficiently piqued and she lay still keeping her breathing shallow so she wouldn't miss anything.

"Ok, what can I help you with?" Loke asked, clearly concerned for his friend.

"Lucy and I hang out all the time so how do I get her to hang out with me as a date?

Lucy's eyes flew open thinking Natsu must know she was awake and was messing with her but the dragon slayer wasn't looking at her. His gaze was on his hands a tinge of red staining his cheeks. Loke seemed to be just as surprised, his eyes widened comically. Lucy would have laughed but she wanted to hear how this conversation would turn out. So she forced herself to close her eyes once more and keep her face neutral.

"You need to be romantic. On the date open doors, bring flowers and pay."

"But that's the actual date; what if she doesn't know it's a date and doesn't want to."

Natsu sounded genuinely distressed and it took all of Lucy's strength to keep quiet, only doing so because she knew Natsu would be embarrassed if he knew she was hearing all this.

"First, specify what you're asking her to do."

"Huh?"

"Don't just ask her to go out. Ask her to dinner or to the movies. Second, make it for the evening; first dates are usually in the evening. Third, pick her up so tell her you'll meet her at her place. If she still doesn't seem to think it's a date you can always tell her you want it to be a date."

There was silence and Lucy figured Natsu was thinking over Loke's advice, it was pretty decent advice and she was curious as to how Natsu would handle things.

"Ok. Thanks Loke!"

There was a brief commotion before silence once again reigned. It wasn't long before she felt the heated gaze on her again and she snapped her eyes open ready to lash into Loke and send him back to the spirit realm. Instead of the tall celestial spirit she found Natsu still standing there.

"Natsu! What are you doing?" she said breathily, her cheeks flushed.

"Lucy will you have dinner with me, at night? I'll pick you up and pay." Natsu asked in a rush.

Lucy considered pointing out that dinner was usually at night but was just happy that Natsu was finally asking her out.

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Yes!" Natsu cried, picking her up in a tight squeeze.

He set her down on her feet and kissed her full on the lips before running out, shouting that he'd see her later. Lucy sat down heavily reaching up to touch her lips in a daze. She let out a giggle, ten minutes in and it was already quite the day.


End file.
